May - June Tools Newsletter Dear Parents, At this age, many children attend to those things that are the loudest, brightest and most attention-grabbing thing in the room. This is to be expected! However, as they become students in elementary school, they will be expected to focus on specific things such as paying attention to the teacher, a story, independent work, or the child sitting next to them. Being able to pay attention on purpose is a skill that is learned and is critical to academic success. In our Tools classroom, we give children opportunities to practice this important skill in a variety of ways. We set up an environment that allows for groups of children to become deeply engaged in one thing so that they practice paying full attention. We use mediators or symbols and signs to help children pay attention to specific things. We have small groups that keep children engaged and limit the amount of time they have to sit in large groups without being mentally active. All of these activities combined provide students with lots of practice in being a focused, attentive student. At Home At home you can help your child practice writing by having them sign cards or write their names on drawings and other things they make. Use the “Handwriting” ditto that I gave you for “private speech” used for letters. As your child writes it is beneficial if you help them make the correct stroke by starting at the top of the paper and making the correct movement with their fingers and hand. You can also use “private speech” to help your children remember ( e.g. helping Kellen learn to say to himself “K is down... slant in, slant out”) Then the next time your child tries to write you can prompt them by saying “remember? How does the letter go? Say it out loud as you write” A big concern many parents have is how to motivate their children to write. Many children enjoy the experience of using a variety of fun writing tools like pencils, crayons, markers, and chalk. . If you haven’t taken a trip down the art supply aisle at Target or Wal-Mart lately you’ll be amazed at the variety of writing implements available from paint pens to color explosion paper. Sidewalk chalk is very inexpensive and can provide hours of outdoor fun and is great for building up hand strength and dexterity. Mrs. Carroll